Easy Homemade Applesauce Recipe: Serve Warm for a Perfect Dessert, Side Dish or Even as a Baby Food

We wanted to share how to make Easy Homemade Applesauce.  It really is very ridiculously easy and tastes so yummy! We will make as a treat for dessert or as a side dish.  Our favorite way to serve it is warm as it’s really quite amazing this way!

Tools and Supplies Needed

Here are the ingredients needed:

• About 6 medium sized apples (you will want around 1.5 quarts of cubed apple pieces).  I fill a 1.5 quart casserole dish with the cubed apples to measure this easily; I know I have enough apples when it is full. 🙂 Experiment with different varieties of apples, as each type will create a different taste experience – sometimes sweeter, sometimes more tart.  But you can add any sugar or sweetener to taste if some batches are more tart than your family desires!
• A few dashes of nutmeg
• 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon (or less if you are not a cinnamon fan)
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract

You will also need a way core, cube and peel apples.  There are many tools to do this.  I have simple tools in my kitchen, and so it takes me a little longer to peel the skins by hand with a paring knife.  It really does work though…I promise! 🙂

To peel and core, you could use any of the following (each of these are links to see what they look like!):

• Apple/Potato Peeler – After researching and seeing how cheap these are, we are going to purchase one of these.
• Hand Peeler  – I have this one and it is my favorite as I have been through many peelers, but this one has lasted a while and still works wonderfully!
• Paring Knives
• Apple Corer

You also need the following appliances/larger kitchen items:

• Pot to cook on the stove top or a crock pot
• Food processor, blender, hand blender or potato masher

Now that you have your ingredients and tools together – let’s get started on making a super Easy Homemade Applesauce!

How to make easy homemade applesauce:

• Peel, core and cube your apples until you have 1.5 quarts of apples.
• Pour your apples into your pan on the stove.  (You can also slow cook in a crock pot for 2-3 hours until soft if preferred).
• Sprinkle with a few dashes of nutmeg
• Add your 1 tsp. of cinnamon (adjust to taste – we like cinnamon!).  This is where you would also add any sugar or sweetener to your mixture.  We don’t use extra sweetener.
• Cook on the stove on medium for about 15-20 minutes until the apples are nice and soft
• About 10 minutes into your cooking, add the 1 tsp. of vanilla extract.

• After the apples soften, you will want to turn them into a “sauce”.  You can do this quickly by pouring into a food processor or blender and pulsing the mixture a handful of times until desired consistency is reached. You can also use a hand blender or even a potato masher.

• Either serve warm or refrigerate to serve cold.  You can also store the leftovers (if there are any) for a day or two and serve cold!

This can also be a baby food – just follow the cooking steps above, omitting the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and vanilla! Use a sweet-tasting apple for the natural sweetener!

Making your own applesauce is very yummy and rewarding! It can be cheaper than buying applesauce from the store.  We have gotten applesauce very cheap with coupons and sales, but it is something all seven of us like to eat, so we can’t keep enough cheap store bought applesauce in stock.

Ways to Get Apples for Less

Here are some ideas to make your easy homemade applesauce even cheaper – being able to get CHEAP apples!

1. If you have an apple tree of your own – problem solved!
2. If you have a neighbor who has an apple tree, ask if you can pick your own to take the mess off their hands.  Usually, we have seen residential apple trees go to such waste as the apples fall on the ground before anyone can get them and go to waste! Instead, this is a great opportunity to ask any neighbors or friends with an apple tree if you can help with the clean-up before they fall 🙂
3. Pick your own at a local apple orchard – usually they charge by the bushel and it is typically a lot less than you will get in the store!
4. Buy from a co-op or local farmer’s market.
5. Buy apples that are beginning to turn at the local grocery store that have either already been marked down or ask if you can get a discount if you see that any are turning!  Turn them into applesauce right away!
6. Buy it on a weekly sale at your local grocery store or price match at Walmart!
7. Finally, you can stock-up when they are in season and can your own applesauce so that you have it throughout the year!

Don’t forget that applesauce is also a great replacement in cooking  to replace oil and in some cases even the eggs!

What recipes or ideas do you have with making applesauce or ideas on how to use your homemade applesauce in other recipes?

See our everyday frugal living section of our site for more tips and recipes and other do it yourself ideas!

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